40k Addict Season - To-Do list

Hi Gang,

Like all the other 40k Addicts out there putting their impressive to-do lists up I thought I should do the same! This will mostly be a 30k list with one big 40k project thrown in at the deep end...

Mechanicum

The mechanicum are actually very close to be doing done so over the next year I plan to:

- Finish converting and paint a Knight Paladin

- Convert an Arlatax and paint

- Build and Paint a Calix Thanatar

Not that much to do and I'm confident to get it done!

Solar Auxilia

Much more to do here, but mostly tanks!

- Buy and Paint 10 more Volkite Veletaris

- Build and Paint Command Squad

- Paint Legate Commander

- Paint 3 x Dracosan

- Paint 1 x Malcador Infernus

- Paint 1 x Macharius Omega

- Paint 1 x Stormsword(?) The big plasma baneblade...

So lots of big tanks that will take a loooong time to paint due to my chosen scheme but I'm quietly confident of getting this done in the next year.

Imperial Militia

A lot more to do here and plenty of infantry!

- Convert and paint 2 x walking land raider proteus'

- Paint 15 sniper models

- Build and paint 40 infantry

- Build and Paint 4 medusa siege carriage guns

- Buy and convert a walking baneblade

These guys are the Raging Hero models and I expect them to be a lot more work building and converting so these guys are fairly low down the possible list...

Harlequins

A recent impulse purchase because I've always liked them and they were so cheap!!

- Build and paint 3 x 5 man troupes

- Build and Paint 3 x Death Jesters

- Build and Paint 3 x Shadowseers

- Build and Paint 1 x Solitaire

- Build and Paint 4 x skyweavers

- Build and Paint 3 x Starweavers

- Build and Paint 1 x Voidweaver

Ok so this makes up a whole 1750 formation of Cegorach's Revenge. 1750 is the local tournament points value so its intended for that as fun. Because they were so cheap I feel freed from having to get my money's worth as it were, so I'm actually going to be painting these guys highly stylised and I hope to have the first models with that scheme up in the next few weeks. 

Assorted Goals

Just one goal under here this year. Terrain!!! 

My goal is to make some nice and storable terrain that I can play with at my house. It also has to compact down very small so that I can fit it into storage if I successfully make the jaunt across to the states!

So hopefully I'll have a few odd terrain projects thrown in for good measure :)

Peace out,

Rob

Hobby Season Review: 40k Addict TO-DO list

Hey gang,

Like many other blogs that take part in Dave Weston's Hobby season I have decided to do a review of my targets one year ago and see where I am now! First lets have a look at my original list of goals:

Original Goals

1. Build 20 more Jump Death Company

2. Paint 35 Jump Death Company and 1 Death Company Drop pod

3. Paint the remaining 20 neophytes for my Black Templars

4. Paint the 5 vanguard veterans for my Black Templars

5. Paint Grimaldus and his servitors

6. Pick a new army to start that has synergy with my Blood Angels (probably space marine)

7. Buy and start painting said army (probably a mix of ebay rescue bids and new purchases)

8. Start converting mechanicum or Tau models out of all the bizarre models I have picked up with this in mind (includes evangelion figures and some warzone resurrection miniatures).

9. Attend 3 tournaments as opposed to the 2 I attend this year (would have been 3 if Fluffageddon had gone ahead!)

Overview

I actually did pretty well from this list!! We can discard 3-5 immediately mind you as I ended up selling the Black Templars fairly early on as I felt that the general quality of painting was quite far behind my painting as I moved forward. 

1-2 though were nailed with my fully completed Death Company army competing at Hero For a Day but a week ago :)! 6-7 Was started and completed with my Dark Angels, though I have since sold them off as well! Though I made a decent chunk out of that army and was very happy with how it turned out looking, I'm just very bored of painting spehss mehreens! 

8 didn't so much happen as I just bought a mechanicum army from forgeworld instead so that'll only get a half mark.... 9 I fully achieved though attending 3 tournaments and a charity event in Hero For a Day so I'm pretty damn pleased with that!!

So that gives me a grand total of 5.5/9 so well over 50%!

After 6 months I revised these goals due the appearance and disappearance of armies in my collection (butterfly!) so I set some new goals at 6 months!

6 Month Goals

After a pretty stonking start to the year I tried to be ambitious with my future goals:

1. Finish the 6 final Death Company 

2. Paint all my remaining blood angels = 1 drop pod, 5 Sanguinary Guard, 6 Vanguard Veterans, 10 Scouts, 1 Chaplain, 2 Librarians 

3. Paint all my Ravenwing = Dark Talon, Sammael, 3 Ravenwing Bikers 

4. Build remaining models for Dark Angels that I own = 5 Deathwing, 3 squads of 5 tactical Marines, Company Command squad and 2 x Veteran Squads 

5. Build the entirety of the Alpha Legion = 20 Veterans, 1 Fire Raptor, Finish the Leviathan + Drop pod, and a converted Autilon Skorr 

6. Build and Paint my 30k Mechanicum to a finished but not weathered standard = 4 Castellax, 9 Thallax, 2 converted Magos, 2 Thanatars 

7. Attend Vanquish 2016, Hero for a Day, Double Trouble and Fluffageddon 

8. Place in the top half of any tournament 

9. Place in the top 3 of a painting competition

Overview

1 is folded into the original goals so I'll discount it for this tally and it'll be out of 8 not 9!

2 was a complete fail as I have sold a lot of my excess blood angels including my painted redwing. I still have the converted Sanguinary Guard mind you and they will be getting a death company treated colour scheme at some point!

3-4 failed and sold off! Just bored!

5 was actually completed and painted apart from the flyers so that was good! But again sold off due to weak concentration and other distractions!

6 was smashed out of the park with a full 3000 points of mechanicum being built, converted and painted :)

7 did well with all but fluffageddon being attended and that was supplanted by an excellent Horus Heresy weekend event run my good mate Dan Evansv :)

Surprisingly for 8 I managed a decent top half finish at Vanquish despite failing to complete my final game due to illness, I also managed to come second in the painting competition and then win a category at Alex Brown's Double Trouble! 

Of all my completed achievements it is placing well in painting competitions that gives me the greatest source of pride I must admit. My ego enjoyed it very much!!

So that's a 5/8 for the second section!

Overall and the Future

Overall I managed a pretty good 10.5/17 for the last 12 months of hobby effort! Though I think that number is deceptively high as I can't help but feel I erred on the side of keeping my goals low rather than trying to really push myself!

Well have no fear, as you have no doubt been aware if you have followed my blog at all recently I have my hands mightily full... With the Solar Auxilia, Imperial Militia, and Harlequins all becoming armies in need of building and painting! I also have commissions in hand to get painting on with! Plus side projects of single miniatures lying around to try and do. 

So look out for a post next week detailing a pretty extensive list for the next year, no revising half way this time. In the Game of 40k you win or you die there is no middle ground ;)

Peace out,

Rob

Today's a Day for a - Hobby Review and TO-DONE

Hi fine folks of the tubes,

I really enjoy a regular assessment of where my hobby is going. I find it a good way to crystallise ideas that I have had floating around and sort out what I want to do next. This is why having laid out goals really helps as a metric to see where you are at with all your projects and also to see how much whim and fancy takes control of you during a new release or just off the cuff!

Below is a copy paste from my 40k Addict season goals that I put up just 2 months ago (my time flies) so that I can see what progress I have made on these goals and whether I have enough spare time to add things to them,

1. Finish the 6 final Death Company - TO-DONE

These guys have finally been completed! I am still waiting for some LEDs to arrive so that I can illuminate the whole army for a photo shoot, rather than just one unit at a time. I feel that wouldn't do the army justice. Very happy with the army as a whole but really need to keep pushing my painting game for myself.

2. Paint all my remaining blood angels = 1 drop pod, 5 Sanguinary Guard, 6 Vanguard Veterans, 10 Scouts, 1 Chaplain, 2 Librarians - Incomplete

These guys are a constant nagging thorn in my side at the moment, I really want to get them done for completion sake but I game with them so infrequently its hard to push me onward and upwards. I've now struck the scouts of the list as I intend to sell them. This was motivated by the fact they are metal slottas on 25mm bases and re-basing them just felt like a hurdle I couldn't be arse to climb...

3. Paint all my Ravenwing = Dark Talon, Sammael, 3 Ravenwing Bikers - Incomplete

I've hit a mental block with these chaps much like I did with my Death Company. Its the combination of what feels like huge amounts of effort for a force that looks middling at best. I am still very keen to get them done though and I feel these are the most likely of the cast aside projects to be finished before August. 

4. Build remaining models for Dark Angels that I own = 5 Deathwing, 3 squads of 5 tactical Marines, Company Command squad and 2 x Veteran Squads - Incomplete

This should be a lot more achievable as building things has become quite the rest from painting things and as a lot of this is snap-fit stuff I shouldn't take to much time on them. Still lower down my to-do pile though.

4. Build the entirety of the Alpha Legion = 20 Veterans, 1 Fire Raptor, Finish the Leviathan + Drop pod, and a converted Autilon Skorr - Incomplete

Barely even started on these...BUT...I have fire in my belly for this project and I am definitely going to be working on them in the nearish future. Whether or not I will get them done before August ready to be painted in the next year of 40k Addict isn't certain though.

5. Build and Paint my 30k Mechanicum to a finished but not weathered standard = 4 Castellax, 9 Thallax, 2 converted Magos, 2 Thanatars - TO-DONE

Not only is this done, but I have surpassed the goal with 2 x Domitar Automata and 2 x Krios Venators complete as well and an additional Magos. I've also part-exchanged a spare Castellax for another Thanatar - the one with the siege brick and a giant S10 lascannon. So that should be fun to paint! Super happy with these guys and hope to use them as a springboard for improved painting.

6. Attend Vanquish 2016, Hero for a Day, Double Trouble and Fluffageddon - Partially complete

Already attended Vanquish and Double Trouble is coming up fast. Looking forward to taking my Mechanicum to Double Trouble very much! Plus NafNaf of ObjectiveSecured bloggery fame is bringing his Dark Eldar Danse Macabre that I cannot wait to see in the flesh (plastic)!

7. Place in the top half of any tournament - TO-DONE

Despite only completing 4/5 games due to illness, I managed to place 28th out of 60 in Vanquish 2016 which I am thrilled to bits by! I hope to do well at Double Trouble as well. But more importantly I had a blast at Vanquish and I am sure I will have a blast at Double Trouble.

8. Place in the top 3 of a painting competition - TO-DONE

I rated this as near impossible when I originally wrote the list up but my Mechanicum army garnered me second place in the painting competition at Vanquish and that was worth any amount of effort on my half. I was completely over the moon and I hope that the Mechanicum will do me proud at future tournaments and hopefully my other armies might do as well!

So that is a full 50% of my goals for 6 months completed in 2! I can feel very happy with that. So is there anything to add to this list? You bet there is!

1. Build and Convert a Mechanicum Indentured Imperial Knight - Likely to be done

I've already started work on this chap and I'm really looking forward to breaking out some more extensive and adventurous conversions on him. Expect pictures fairly soon!

2. Paint a squad of 10 Legion of the Damned - Likely to be done

My first Test model for the Damned is already live on my blog and I'm hugely appreciative of the feedback I've been getting. I'm looking forward to finishing that off satisfactorily before starting on to the rest of them. This model has illustrated that my painting skills just happen to have matched up well to the mechanicum and I still need to practise that level of quality on other miniatures. But these should be a fun distraction from other projects when I need it :)

That all today folks, normal business of bombarding you with models and reviews will resume shortly :)

Peace out,

Rob

Dark Angels Drop Pod - Complete - TO-DONE

Hello,

I finally completed the drop pod for my dark angel devastator squad, though I did end up doing a bit of dry brushing to kill the beast. Definitely sub par effort for me, but it'll do fine for playing on the tabletop.

As per comments on my review post I will be aiming to up the photography of my miniatures but I'm afraid that will only begin after a consolidated effort to tidy my work space giving me more room to put back drops down and I need to purchase a new lamp also to get even lighting. So apologies for the quality of the photos but it shows you most of what you need to see.

There is plenty of wash streak on this that I hope a matt varnish will subdue. However that effect and the sheer number of vehicles I hope to paint this year did spur me on to make a significant hobby purchase which should cause even greater drain on my money. However without a lady to wine and dine there is more of it about!

All will be revealed this week..

Peace out,

Rob

Dark Angels Army - 40k Addict - Completed Stamp!

Hi everyone,

So I'm giving myself a big 40k Addict season done stamp today! One of my main aims for the 40k addict season was to pick and start a new army. Now that I have a bona fide little Dark Angels army all painted up now I thought I deserved a stamp! I still have a hell of a lot to do though!

I am chatting to a few people at the moment trying to play games against some of excellent hobbyists I follow on the internets, either bloggers or youtubers. I'd like to use my Dark Angels for this so I have to get a serious shift one! Coming up in the new year, as well as my 30k Dark Angels and 30k Alpha Legion (sooo slowly the Alpha Legion..) I will be starting work on my Ravenwing contingent!

This consists of:

- Sammael

- 5 Ravenwing Bikers

- 1 Attack Bike

- 1 Dark Talon

Now this is a pretty small amount of models, so what I am planning on doing is taking a monday and a friday off and shooing  my girlfriend away to do something with friends and trying to paint all of these over a 4 day weekend. A little personal hobby challenge you might say. We will see how I do!

Anyway, below is a montage of my painted Dark Angels so far just in case you have missed any of them, I will get an army shot completed once I have finished the Bike Mounted Librarian :)

Not bad for 3 months of graft I think :) that time has flown by though!! Need to crack on and clear more of this plastic off my side! Then I can stop butterflying and just have one project to focus on properly...

Peace out,

Rob

Joining the 40K Addict - To Do List 2015/2016

Hi Readers,

As the big bold stamp above and the title of this post indicate, I am going to be joining 40K Addict, Dave Weston in his vowed To-Do list for the 2015-2016 season (I presume it runs from this sort of time either due to the British school calendar or possibly the British football season....). You can find details of this over at the amazing Confessions of a 40k addict Blog where Dave is currently constructing an immensely cool man cave in his garden. He is also on my blog roll so if you scout down there you should find his ramblings along with his incredible painting skills (Check out his tyranids!).

Essentially this is a vow in order to spur on productivity and also to shape the direction of my endeavours rather than just incessantly getting off track and doing random bits of projects such so that nothing actually gets finished (I've actually been pretty good with this since I started the blog thanks to my Narrative campaign with Stuart.)

So below is my to-do list for the year ahead!!!


Goals Before Blog Wars in November

1. Build 20 more Jump Death Company

2. Paint 35 Jump Death Company and 1 Death Company Drop pod


Goals Before the end of January 2016

1. Paint the remaining 20 neophytes for my Black Templars

2. Paint the 5 vanguard veterans for my Black Templars

3. Paint Grimaldus and his servitors


General Goals to complete at any time

1. Pick a new army to start that has synergy with my Blood Angels (probably space marine)

2. Buy and start painting said army (probably a mix of ebay rescue bids and new purchases)

3. Start converting mechanicum or Tau models out of all the bizarre models I have picked up with this in mind (includes evangelion figures and some warzone resurrection miniatures).

4. Attend 3 tournaments as opposed to the 2 I attend this year (would have been 3 if Fluffageddon had gone ahead!)


The last section of goals is obviously very open ended in many ways but I will expand upon them as I get to them with additional units added individually as they come, but quite hard to do when I haven't picked the army yet!!

Anyway, that's what I'm aiming for this season and some of it has already been started and I hope to share some with you in the coming week! I will apologise now, there will be a lot of Death Company pictures coming up (A LOT!).

For now, keep on hobbying.

Peace out,

Rob